Locking combination for nestable culvert



July 10, 1962 H. J. MONTOYA ETAL 3,043,344

LOCKING COMBINATION FOR NEsTABLI-I CULVERT Filed March 27, 1958 f BY MUM United States Patent 3,043,344 LOCKING COMBINATION FOR NESTABLE i CULVERT Hernando J. Montoya, Barranquilla, Colombia, and George W. Underwood, Middletown, Ohio, assxgnors to Armco Steel Corporation, Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 27, 195s, Ser. No. 724,424 i 2 Claims. (Cl. 13S-158) This invention relates to a locking combination for a nestable culvert. Culvert of the type involved is exemplied in the Boyle et al. Paten-t No. 2,718,177 and in the Brayton et al. Patent No. 2,735,450. The culvert pipe according to the above named patents is composed generally of two pieces which are semi-circular. On edge of each sec-tion is left plain and the other edge is provided with offset seat elements so that two sections may be mutually-reversed and inverted and assembled with the plain edge of the one engaging the offset seat elements of the other to form a culvert or pipe.

It is the general practice in the field to dig the ditch or trench in which the pipe is to be placed and then to assemble the sections together to form the pipe on the ground and roll the assembled pipe into the ditch or trench. When the ditch or trench is back-filled, the assembled sections are of course held in assembly by the pressure of the earth thereon but it is necessary to provide s-ome means to secure the sections together temporarily while the pipe is being assembled and rolled into the trench.

In the Boyle patent mentioned above, two types of fastening devices are disclosed, one of which is a threepiece arrangement requiring the use of a wrench. The other is an extremely simple device requiring only 4the use of a hammer but it is somewhat diicult of application.

In vthe Brayton patent mentioned above, a fastening arrangement is disclosed which does not require any separate pieces but the arrangement of the Brayton patent is somewhat difficult to operate in the field and it is subject to some objections.

It is therefore `an object of the present invention to provide a novel fastening combination which will accomplish the objects of those described above, as well as or better but which will be very much simpler to apply and does not require use of tools other than those normally found on the eld construction job.

These and other objects of the invention which will be described in more detail hereinafter or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, are accomplished by that cer-tain construction and arrangement of parts of which the following discloses an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereofl and in which:

FIGURE 1 is -a large scale perspective view of the two pieces constituting the fastening device showing their relationship to each other prior to assembly.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of a culvert or pipe section as seen from the plain or unnotched side.

`FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the same.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the same as seen from the notched side.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of an assembled pipe or culvert showing two of Vthe fastening combinations in place.

FIGURE 6 is fragmentary cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE 5 showing the assembly of the locking pieces prior to locking.

Mice

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the pieces after locking has been completed; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the pieces in locked condition.

Briefly, in the practice of the invention the locking device comprises two pieces, one provided with an eye and the other provided with a curved tongue adapted to pass through the eye. The opposite ends of the two pieces are provided with offset portions providing shoulders. The two culvert sections are slotted at points spaced from the edges thereof and in peripheral alignment and the locking device is applied by passing the off-set portions of the two pieces respectively through aligned slots in the two sections and passing the tongue portion of one piece through the eye portion of the other. The extending tongue portion is then bent over and if desired hammered downto complete the lock.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings and first to FIGURES 2 to 4 inclusive, a culvert sec-tion similar to that disclosed in the above named patents is indicated at 10. It is provided with the slots 11. In FIGURE 2 the unnotched or plain edge is exposed. In FIGURE 4 there are shown the off-set notches 12 which provide seats 13 against which the unnotched edge 10a may seat. As shown in FIGURE 4, other slots 11 are provided. The slot-s 11 are provided in the ridges of the corrugations so that they will be readily accessible from the outside of the pipe.

By reference -to `FIGURE 5, it will be observed that a plurality of sections 10 are overlapped as indicated at 14 to provide the lower half of the pipe and that a plurality of other pieces 10 in reversed and inverted relationship and also overlapped -as at 14 are assembled with the plain edges 10a engaging the notches 12, as described in the above named patents. Referring now more particularly to the locking device, it will be seen that ythe locking device comprises two pieces indicated generally at 20 and 30. The piece 20 is vprovided with the off-set portion 21 providing the shoulder 22. The main body portion is enlarged in width and is provided with the opening 23. The member 30 lalso has an off-set portion 31 providing a shoulder 32 and at its opposite end it is bent upwardly as at 33 and may be provided, if desired, with the perforation 34.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, it will be clear that the member 30 may be positioned by passing the olf-set por- :tion 31 through one of the slots 11 and passing the ofi"- set portion 21 of the piece 20 through another slot 11 in alignment and passing the aperture 23 of the member 20 over the projecting curved tongue 33. With the parts in the position of FIGURE 6, it is a simple matter to insert a suitable tool, such as a spike 35, a drift pin or the like,

through the hole 34 as indicated in broken lines in FIG- URE 6, and using such tool as a lever to bend over the tongue 33 to the position shown in FIGURE 7. If desired, the end of the tongue 33 may be struck with a hammer to clinch the portion 33 down to the position shown in FIGURE 8.

'I'he act of bending over the tongue 33 by means of a suitable tool will have the eifect of drawing the members 20 and 30 toward each other and this action transmitted through the respective shoulders 22 and 32 to the walls of the slots 11 draws the two sections 10 together.

When locked together a s above described, the culvert pipe is held in assembly so that it may be rolled into the trench without coming apart. After the trench is backflled around the culvert pipe of course the pressure of the earth maintains the sections in assembly and thev fastening devices of the present invention have in general completed their purpose. There is still, however, a function which the locking device of the present invention may perform after the trench is back-filled because since the culvert pipe herein described is not Water-tight, it so-metimes happens that there 'is erosion of the earth at the bottom of the pipe which may result in the tformation of a cavity below the pipe. Because of the beam load, this would tend to cause the pipe to separate if the joint should happen to be at the bottom of the pipe. In such event, the fastening `device of the present invention Will prevent the pipe, from opening at the bottom.

The two locking elements 20 and 30 are preferably made of sheet meta-l of approximately the gauge of the culvert sections with which they are used. As a matter of practice, it is preferred that the smaller diameter of culvert pipe, i.e. from about twelve inch diameter to forty-eight inch diameter, the locking pieces will be of ten gauge, whereas from about fifty-four inch diameter to about seventy-two diameter, eight gauge is preferable.

It will be understood that minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and that there is therefore no intention as to any limitation not expressed in the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. tIn a culvert pipe of the offset seat type composed of semi-circular sections, wherein said sections have slots parallel to, and adjacent the edges 0f the respective sections, with pairs of said slots being in circumferential alignment when said sections are assembled, a locking structure comprising a two-piece fastening assembly for drawing and holding said sections together during handling prior to permanent placement of said pipe, each of said pieces comprising a `strip` of sheet metal having at one end an offset flange and shoulder, said ange passing through one of said aligned slots and resting in radial bearing relationship against the inside wall of said section, said lshoulder seated in said one slot in circumferential bearing relationship with the edge -thereof nearest the edge of the section, one of said pieces having an eye and the other piece having a curved tongue extending out'- Wardly through said eye, forming approximately a 180 bend, such that said sections are held in fixed relationship.

2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said tongue is perforated yfor engagement by a lever to bend the same.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 20, 1930 

